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Lessons from the Valley

Biblical hope and encouragement for any parent walking through a valley time. Sonya shares Scriptures that helped her walk through the first year after diagnosing her daughter with autism. See full description →

Description

Spiritual encouragement for parents with special needs children.

On Mother’s Day, 2002, Sonya found herself in a spiritual valley after diagnosing her youngest daughter with autism. Though your valley may look different, the giants that she encountered there may seem eerily similar to your own.

Learn what Scriptures the Lord used to help her overcome five giants in the valley: the giants named Fear, Faltering Faith, Uncertainty, Guilt, and Self-Pity.

Find renewed hope in the names and descriptions of God, and how they speak especially into the lives of those dealing with special needs.

Gain encouragement for your own valley.

You are welcome to download the electronic audio file of this workshop as our gift to you with the hope that the God Who gives endurance and encouragement will use it to bolster your heart.

You can also read an article Sonya wrote about the five giants in the valley.

Additional information

6 reviews for Lessons from the Valley

TJ –August 25, 2011

We adopted 5 children from Russia, and as you can imagine, it has been quite a journey…(one we will forever be on) Adopted children have their own unique challenges as do the parents that raise them! ;o) Thank you Sonya for this wonderful encouraging segment about your daughter…and the comfort that only God can bring to our restless and tired souls. I have read and gone to secular workshops, but God is always the missing link.
Thank you for sharing your journey and your faith with me…it is nice to have the missing piece that your heart longs for…Blessings, tjmc

Angelia –August 27, 2011

I wrote a book here, in this comment spot, but erased it. So to keep it simple; I thank you dear friend, I am walking this journey too, learning to fully trust The strong one, The mighty leader, our loving supreme God. I was blessed by this free audio. I listen to it today. I also read your book, last year, and was encouraged by it as well. It is my youngest of three children, a son, who is autistic. He is going to be seven this fall. I pray my son will one day meet a young lady like Hannah, who is raised with love. A hug from a friend in Texas, Angelia

valere –June 23, 2012

Sonya I have 5 year old twin girls, one of which is asd . She is currently in a pre school for kids with autism. Our daughter is high functionng and can do an awful lot on her own. We will be starting her twin sister on CM in the fall. Next year we want to start our daughter who is on the spectrum with a homeschool education. Wll you share with me how you got Hannah started . Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thank You

Sonya Shafer –June 25, 2012

Valere, I started with reading aloud to her. She struggles with expressive language skills, so I didn’t require a narration until she was at the point where putting together a sentence wasn’t so difficult for her. We still get one- or two-sentence narrations, but that’s okay. She also sometimes draws a picture of what happened and then tells me about the picture. But for many years, I simply read good books to her, trusting that it would get “in there” somehow. And in recent years, we’ve had glimpses that confirm that it did just that!

I try to include her with subjects that she could easily participate with the rest of the family: picture study (she looks but is not required to describe yet), music study (she likes to listen to music), nature study (I write the entries in her nature notebook), map drill (she colors the countries on the map we’re doing). Then we do her individual subjects—like math, handwriting, and beginning reading—in short lessons. It’s easy to fall into a rut with her one-on-one subjects, so I regularly have to regroup and remember to add variety, like painting, handicrafts, games, and things like that.

It works well, and I’m so happy to have her home in a safe, nurturing environment where I can teach her as a person.

Valerie –June 25, 2012

Thank you Sonya for your reply. Please keep me in your prayers as I wll keep you in mine.

Rated 5 out of 5

MelissaB –August 7, 2013

Very encouraging to listen to your talk. I have a son who has cancer and while cancer and autism are very different, there are so many emotions that seem to feel very much the same. Thank you for sharing your heart.

Rated 5 out of 5

Mary C –April 26, 2015

I got to see and hear Sonya in person on Thursday night, give this lesson. It was so powerful for me. I am so thankful that I got to hear it. I’m telling everyone about it now! Thank you, Sonya, for sharing it with me and all of us. Thank you for sharing your lessons from the valley. While I’m not glad that you’re in the valley, I know the Lord is showing me and so many others love through you. <3

Rated 5 out of 5

Jenni Neale –August 13, 2017

Hi Sonya,
I have just listened to your workshop on having a child with special needs. I have four children all with autism and various associated diagnosis. We have only been home schooling the youngest two since Feb as they were not thriving in state school. I have discovered SCM during this summer holiday and have since purchased many of your resources as they really appealled to me. Having just listened to this download I feel that God has just confirmed that this is the way for my family to go. Your talk was such a timely reminder for me as to His great awesomeness and how He is in complete control.
I am even more determined not to be a bent bow and I know I can be a perfect bow for my four arrows but only in His strength and not my own.
Thank you.